US rank #4414 Boys' name Peak 1959 153,083 births

Jim — #4414 US boys' name

153,083 babies named Jim in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s35201890s28411900s27181910s57641920s105661930s208231940s356321950s262151960s331981970s60231980s25481990s16072000s9622010s5062020s160
#4414
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 69% of names given to boys today.

1940s
Peak decade

23% of everyone ever named Jim was born in this single decade.

1959
Single peak year

5,687 babies were named Jim in 1959 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Jim

The Social Security Administration has registered 153,083 babies named Jim between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Jim currently holds the #4414 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1959, when 5,687 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Jim performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 35,632 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Jim shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 19,351 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Jim in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Jim in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 153,083 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Jim at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

153,083

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1959

5,687 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#4,414

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Jim popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
5,687
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 345

Jim popularity over time — girls

816 total births recorded since 1888 (Jim as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 816 births
0510152025 198419621951194119311921191118931888 5

Jim by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
35,632 births that decade — 23% of Jim's all-time total
1880s35201890s28411900s27181910s57641920s105661930s208231940s356321950s262151960s331981970s60231980s25481990s16072000s9622010s5062020s160

Jim by state

Where Jim concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Jim
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
19,351 12.6%
#2 Texas
10,154 6.6%
#3 Illinois
8,741 5.7%
#4 Ohio
8,653 5.7%
#5 Michigan
7,004 4.6%
#6 Missouri
5,498 3.6%
#7 Washington
5,352 3.5%
#8 Oklahoma
4,705 3.1%
California share of Jim's total US births 12.6%
Even split

19,351 of 153,083 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Jim appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Jim?
153,083 babies have been named Jim since 1880. It currently ranks #4414 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 5,687 births.
When was Jim most popular?
Jim was most popular in the 1940s decade with 35,632 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Jim most popular?
The top states for the name Jim are California (19,351 births), Texas (10,154 births), Illinois (8,741 births).
How long has the name Jim been used?
Jim has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Jim?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jimmy, Jimmie, Jimi, Jimmey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.